Rabbit And Guinea Pigs?

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The short answer is no and here's some reasons why:

  • They have different nutritional needs so sharing food is a no-no
  • Rabbits carry a bacteria which is harmful to piggies and causes serious respiratory infections
  • They can't 'talk' the same language. Imagine being stuck in a bedsit with someone who spoke no English at all with no option to leave. You'd both feel pretty uncomfortable and lonely...
  • Rabbits are much stronger and can injure a piggy badly or even kill it
The RSPCA recommend keeping both with companions of their own kind.

Guinea pigs and rabbits
 
Before I knew any better, I used to keep my bun and piggy together. Nowadays, they have their own hutches, however, that doesn't stop the pigs raiding the buns hutch whilst they're out on the lawn! :))

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I remember years ago the advice from pet shops was you could keep them together as long as the piggy had a little hidey to escape if the rabbit got boisterous...

It's so scary to think what used to be called safe :yikes:
 
When we lived in the UK we had both guinea pigs and rabbits (kept in pairs, but separate from each other).
Our neighbor had a guinea pig and a rabbit together (she has previously had a bad experience getting a 'male' rabbit from the pet shop which produced babies not long after arriving!), so she decided a rabbit and guinea pig would prevent further babies, but offer company for each other.
We were good friends and and always looked after each others pets when one of us was away.
One day her rabbit attacked her guinea pig - we never saw the actual incident, she just went out to feed them and found her pig laying, bleeding in the cage.
It was awful. I drove her to the vet (she was too upset to drive) and they did operate to try and save her pig, but he died 2 days later.
The vet told us they should never have been kept together, but back in those days pet shops used to say it was fine.
I will never forget the damage that the rabbit managed to inflict on that poor guinea pig, and I know that the owner never forgave herself.
 
BossHogg said:
Before I knew any better, I used to keep my bun and piggy together. Nowadays, they have their own hutches, however, that doesn't stop the pigs raiding the buns hutch whilst they're out on the lawn! :))

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Love it (and them).
It's a bit like the little sister running into the big sisters room to play with all of her cool stuff when she is not there!
You go little pigs.
 
So at the moment your guinea pig is larger than your baby rabbit? Is your baby rabbit still with it's mother?
I am assuming not.
Do you mind me asking: Are you actually asking if you can keep a baby rabbit with a guinea pig as a temporary thing? Or do you wish this to be permanent?
Do you have one lonely guinea pig and are you trying to give it companionship? Or do you have a baby rabbit without a mother and you are trying to give it comfort with the guinea pig?
I ask so that we can help to give you the best advice for your guinea pig AND your rabbit. One week old seems very young for a rabbit to be without its mother.

Apart from the bacteria that many rabbits carry (harmless to rabbits, fatal to guinea pigs), as they grow rabbits become much stronger than guinea pigs. Even those rabbits who really love their guinea pig companions can injure them accidentally. As @Swissgreys says, some rabbits turn on the guinea pigs, but even when they never, ever attack, both rabbits and guinea pigs are prone to suddenly running to a dark corner when something surprises them - a noise, a smell, a shadow, these can all cause sudden panic in both animals. As rabbits kick off with their back legs as a reaction to fright, if the guinea pig happens to be sat behind the rabbit it can be seriously injured or even killed by this.
 
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I feel very strongly about this subject. Had a rabbit and guinea pig together for three years and they were great together then went in the hutch one day to find the guinea pig crushed.Have never kept them together since. Even took on a guinea pig and rabbit kept together so I could separate them and put them with their own kind. Guinea pig girl now in with my three girls then my boy as well when he is safe to be with them and a girl that is going in with a neutered boy when he is safe.
 
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